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MANILA The Philippine Health Ministry said yesterday it will investigate the illegal use of unauthorised Covid-19 vaccines, after a presidential adviser admitted to receiving shots of a Sinopharm vaccine smuggled into the country.
Mr Ramon Tulfo, a radio and television host and special envoy to China, revealed in his newspaper column and again in an interview with One News that he received a dose in October from a batch that was also used by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte s security detail. I got hold of vaccines from a friend who smuggled it into the country, he told One News.
News last month of Mr Duterte s bodyguard unit taking the vaccine, which it said was without his knowledge, prompted criticism from lawmakers about privileged access and flouting of laws.
Published February 24, 2021 1:00pm The United Kingdom has no plan to enter into a deal that will allow the Philippine government to send healthcare workers to Britain in exchange for coronavirus vaccines, UK s top diplomat to Manila said Wednesday. “I’d say we’ve got no plans to link vaccines with those conversations around the recruitment of nurses,” UK Ambassador Daniel Pruce said in a virtual chat with reporters. Without providing specific details, Pruce confirmed meeting with Labor Secretary Silverstre Bello IIII on the Philippine proposal a few weeks ago, but said the UK prefers to assist developing nation’s access to COVID-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility.